Southern California Fuel Firm (SoCalGas) introduced that nonprofit organizations can apply for a grant of as much as $50,000 from the utility’s SoCal Local weather Champions Grant program. This system is in search of revolutionary options that assist cut back, mitigate, or sequester greenhouse gasoline emissions, enhance air high quality, or natural waste diversion options within the SoCalGas service space. Since its inception in 2015, the SoCal Local weather Champions Grant program has awarded greater than 160 grants totaling close to $3 million {dollars}.
“Each community-based group has a possibility to contribute to the collective options wanted to succeed in a carbon-neutral future,” mentioned Jawaad Malik, Chief Technique and Sustainability Officer at SoCalGas. “Collectively, by way of the SoCal Local weather Champions Grant program, we are able to flip concepts into motion and assist empower these organizations engaged on revolutionary local weather options to drive significant change.”
The appliance window for this yr’s SoCal Local weather Champions grant opened on April 21 and can shut on June 21. Functions will undergo a multi-phase judging course of and grants shall be distributed to the awardees in October. Grant recipients will:
- Obtain an award of as much as $50,000 to fund new or on-going efforts that align with the Initiative.
- Acquire recognition in a group of achieved nonprofit leaders from numerous applications.
- Share their tales by way of the grant program.
- Be supplied the help of SoCalGas volunteers.
Previous awardees embrace organizations just like the Orange County Conservation Corps (OCCC), whose Inexperienced Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) venture offers a water administration answer for runoff and concrete flooding in Orange County. This system additionally incorporates workforce training and coaching to offer alternatives for youth in native communities.
“This grant helped to allow our corps members to be higher geared up to assist handle the impression of climate occasions on our native communities in Orange County,” mentioned OCCC’s Chief Government Officer, Katharyn Muniz. “The Inexperienced Stormwater Infrastructure venture helps the group adapt to a altering local weather by way of resilient administration practices like capturing extra runoff throughout extended droughts. These practices may also assist cut back the results of city flooding following heavy rainfall occasions.”
One other previous awardee, the Cal Poly Pomona Basis, utilized the grant for his or her revolutionary low-cost power storage system utilizing byproducts of desalination. Greater than twenty engineering college students assisted in creating a lab-scale thermal power storage system that makes use of minerals eliminated throughout desalination for thermal power storage. This low-cost and high-efficiency system may assist improve the dispatchability of renewable sources and assist present peak load shifting when the grid experiences durations of pressure.
“Vitality storage methods shall be key components of our future energy grid to ensure that it to be run by renewable sources,” mentioned Dr. Reza B. Lakeh, venture lead and Affiliate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator within the Mechanical Engineering Division at Cal Poly Pomona. “At scale, this venture has the potential to reinforce the provision of unpolluted and sustainable energy and water in California.”
Underneath the ASPIRE 2045 Sustainability Technique, SoCalGas plans to take a position $50 million into communities the utility serves over 5 years, working to advance racial and gender range within the office, and take tangible steps in the direction of a carbon impartial future.
Study extra in regards to the software course of right here.
The previous press launch was supplied by an organization unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed inside don’t straight mirror the ideas or opinions of NonProfit PRO.
